Railway signaling.



No. 807,645. PATENTED DEC. 19, 1905. S D STROHM RAILWAY SIGNALING.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.29,1891.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

N0. 807,645.- PATENTED DEC. 19, 1905.

S. D. STROHM.

' RAILWAY SIGNALING.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.29,1891.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

WITNESSES I m J INVENTOR JMMZ am PATBNTED DEG.- 19, 1905.

s. 1). STROHM RAILWAY SIGNALING. APPLICATION FILED AUG. 29,1891.

\ 3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

SAMUEL D. STROHM, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

RAILWAY SIGNALING.

( Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 19, 1905.

Application filed August 29, 1891. Serial No. 404,149.

To all whom it warty concern-.-

Be it known that .I, SAMUEL D. STROHM, a citizen of the United States, residing at Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Railway Signaling; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention has relation to railway signaling and to means for controlling the operation of trains along the line, having reference more especially to systems of that type in which semaphore-signals at stations or places along the line are-actuated to be set to danger and safety positions. by a passing train; and it has for its object the provision of electromagnetic devices for setting the semaphore to danger position and electrically-controlled devices for locking the semaphore in such position until said locking devices are released, whereupon the semaphore will move to safety position, all of said electromagnetic devices for actuating the semaphore being operated by a passing train in either its forward or backward movement.

This invention has for its further object the provision of means for preventing the semaphores moving to safety position until all the trains or engines entering a block or section controlled by the semaphore have passed off of or out of the same and means whereby the last train going out of a block oi section will cause the semaphore to be set to safety position in either direction of travel of the engine or train.

This invention has for its still further object to provide the semaphorestations with an annunciator independent of the semaphore for indicating to the engineer the number of trains or engines on the track ahead when arriving at a station in either direction of the travel of his train or engine at which the semaphore shows a danger signal.

This invention has for its still further object the provision of means whereby the movements of the trains both in starting and stopping are automatically controlled by the varying conditions of the line, so as to provide additional security against collisions, &e. My invention consists in the novel constructions,combinations,and arrangements of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

Referring to the accompanying drawings,

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view of a line of railway, showing a car and a number of semaphore and annunciator stations at points on said railway, electromagnetic actuating appurtenances, circuit connections, and contactplates, all constructed and arranged according to my invention; Fig. 2, aplan view of the rails and contact-plates; Fig. 3,a detail view of a part oftheengineappurtenances,illustratingmeans for shifting contact-brushes on the engine as the direction of motion is changed; Fig. 4:, a diagrammatic view illustrating, on a larger scale than Fig. 1, the engine equipment and the electromagnetic and mechanical devices at a semaphore-station, including a semaphore, a contact making and breaking device, an annunciator, and the circuits leading from said semaphore-station to the contact-plates alongside the track; Fig. 5, an elevation of part of the annuciator;. Fig. 6, a similar view of the opposite face of same; Fig. 7, a longitudinal sectional view of the circuit-breaker device for the semaphore-actuating mechanism and of theannunciator, which is mounted on the shaft of said circuit-breaking device; Fig. 8, a detail sectional view of part of the annunciator; Fig. 9, a detail in elevation of a part of the circuit-breaker; Fig. 10, a view similar to Fig. 4, showing means for lighting and extinguishing a light at the semaphore-stations; Figs. 11, 12, and 13, detail views of the same.

In the several figu res of the drawings like reference letters and numerals indicate corresponding parts.

A designates part of an engine body or frame, on which are mounted the several parts of the engine equipment and the brushes for contacting with the plates alongside the track. Upon the engine is mounted a magnet G, having an armature-lever g, a stop or contact g for said lever, a second magnet H, having an armature-lever 72,, controlling the power-regulating or supply valve h and the air-brake valve if, where the engine is run by steam-power'and controlled by an air-brake, as in Fig. 4:, or the electric switch when the engine is operated by an electromotor, as shown in the detail view Fig. 10. The engine carries a source of electric energy G, arranged in a closed circuit 6 6, through armature-lever g when the latter is not attracted by magnet G, to stop 9, to magnet H, to brush a, to contact a when said brush and contact are closed and from contact a to the frame of the engine, with which the other pole of battery G is in circuit, as shown.

Another circuit 8 8 leads from battery G through magnet G, so that the magnet G will normally attract its armature and hold it in the position shown in Fig. 4. One side of 5 said circuit 6 6 has a ground connection 7 with the rails through the frame, axle, and wheels of the engine. Magnet G is in a shunt or branch 8 from one side of circuit 6 6, having brush a and contact-plate 6/, the latter of which is in circuit with the ground 7.

Contact-plates Z and Z are arranged alongside the track and are formed with curved upper surfaces, so that as the brushes (6* and a? meet these contact-plates they will be lifted and separate from the contacts a 6/. A circuit 1 leads from the contact-plate c' to the semaphore-actuating solenoid D and a circuit 9 from plate Z to the circuit-breaker solenoid N.

A contact-plate is arranged in front of the plate a, and a circuit 2 leads from the plate Z to the circuit-restoring solenoid M of a semaphore-station in rear of the station to which the circuits 1 and 9 lead.

The semaphore consists of the usual pivoted blade 0, having on its rear end a disk of colored glass, which when the semaphore is in its horizontal position, indicating danger, stands in front of a light D. The semaphore is operated to pull it to its horizontal, position, indicating danger, by means of a solenoid D in the circuit 1, said solenoid having a core 0Z, which has a finger (Z on its upper end, that engages the rear end of thesemaphore-blade, and a spring cZ, that forces the core cZ upwardly when the solenoid is deenergized.

A magnet E is arranged back of the rear end of the semaphore-blade and is provided with an armature-lever e, which has a tooth on its upper end that engages the end of the semaphore-blade and serves to hold the same in its elevated position while the magnet E is inactive. The magnet E is in the circuit 2, which leads to ground at one end and at the other passes through the circuit-breaker and the contact-restoring solenoid M to the contact-plate c".

The circuit-breaker (best shown in Figs. 4 and 7 is constructed and arranged as follows:

5 The circuit-breaker consists of a shaft carrying a number of contact-fingers and revolved in one direction by means of a ratchet-wheel and dog, the latter being attached to a solenoidcore, which is common to two solenoids, and a shaft and carries a number of contact-fingers and is revolved in one direction by means of adog carried on a solenoid-core, the solenoid for the last-named core being on opposite side of the shaft from the other solenoids, but having its dog and ratchet so arranged that the hollow shaft will follow the movement of the solid shaft.

of designates the solid shaft above referred to, and n the ratchet-wheel on the same, with hollow shaft which turns on the first-named which engages a dog a, that is carried on a solenoid-core 02 which is common to two solenoids N N. The core 12* is mounted in a suitable frame 19 and has a retracting-spring p and a stop-bar 17 that contacts with an adjustable stop p in frame 9 A hollow shaft m of insulating material, is mounted and turns on the shaft n and carries a ratchet-wheel m that is operated by a dogm on a solenoid-core m of a solenoid M, the dog and ratchet-wheel being so constructed and arranged that the,

movement of the solenoid-core 972 will turn the hollow shaft in the same direction as the solid shaft 72 is turned by ratchet n and dog a. The core M is mounted in a frame 0 and has a retracting-spring 0 and a stop-bar 0 that contacts with an adjustable stop 0* in the frame 0 The shaft 92 carries electrically-insulated contact-fingers T and Z: and a disk J of insu' lating material, that has a metallic contact-pin j, with which the finger Z0 is in constant contact. The contact-fingers T and is have collars, upon which bear brushes k and t, connected, respectively, to circuits 1 and 2, the former circuit leading to the solenoid N and the latter to magnet E.

The shaft m carries three contact-fingers R, S, and Z, andeach of these fingers has a collar with which a brush contacts, the collar of finger R having a brush 7* connected to line 2, leading to solenoid M, the collar of finger S having a brush 8 connected to line 2, leading to ground at X, and the collar of fingerZ having a brush Z connected to line 1, leading to the semaphore-solenoid D. The finger Z is adapted to contact with the pin on disk J and through said pin establish electrical connection with finger Z0, and the finger R has a spring-tongue R, which is adapted to contact with the finger T, when said finger and tongue are in alinement; but which when the said finger and tongue are out of alinement will bear inwardly and contact with the finger S. The finger T has a beveled tooth on its outer end, which when said finger comes into line with the tongue R raises the latter up out of contact with finger S.

The circuits of the contact-breaker and the semaphore are as follows: A line 1 leads from contact-plate Z to solenoid D, to brush Z, to contact-finger Z, to pin j, to contact-finger 7a, to brush 70 to solenoid N, to ground X. A line 9 leads from contact-plate 2' to solenoid N, to ground X. A line 2 leads from contactplate a" (which is alongside the track, but at the opposite end of a block or section to the platesc' W) to solenoid M, to brush 7, to finger R, to spring-tongue R, and when R is in contact with S from finger S to brush .9 and thence to ground X, or when tongue R is in contact .with finger T from finger T and brush f to magnet E and thence to ground X.

The shafts n 722 carry in addition to the parts above described the annunciator T for 1 phore blade.

indicating to an engineer on a passing train how many if any engines or trains are on the section or block ahead in case the semaphore is in danger position when the train passes a station. Such annunciator is composed of a disk 2 having an opening 6 in its face and on the rear side a number of lamps t t which are arranged, as shown, to swing or maintain their vertical position as the disk 6 rotates, and are opposite to the opening 25. The disk t is hollow, and within'it is arranged a glass or other transparent flat disk 25', having numbers thereon in line with the opening 6'. The hollow disk or case t is mounted on the hollow shaft m while the flat disk 1 is mount- -with and shows the next lower number.

In Fig. 10 and in the detail views 1'1, 12, and 13 I have shown means for lighting and extinguishing ala'm p D, which is arranged behind the disk on the rear end of the sema- In these figures an electric lamp-lighting device A is arranged in the circuit 1 1 and an extinguisher D for the lamp D is carried by the armature-lever WVhen the solenoid D is energized by a train reaching a station-contact c' and the semaphore is thereby set to danger, the current through line 1 1 operates the lighting device A to light the lamp D. As a train passes out of a station-section the brush a, contacting with plate c", finds ground through line 2 2, energizes the magnet E, which attracts its armature (a, and allows the semaphore-blade to drop to the safety position. (Shown in dotted lines in Fig. 10 of the drawings.) The movement of armature 6 draws the extinguisher D over the lamp and. extinguishes the light.

Operation: A train approaching the contact-plate d of station 1, Fig. 1 in the direction of the arrow, if the track ahead is clear will find the circuit-breaker at that station closed and the semaphore-blade down, indicating safety. As soon as brush a contacts with plate'z'the circuit 1 1 is closed and solenoid 1) energized, its core is pulled down, and the semaphore is set to danger position, in which it is held by the catch a on armaturelever a. At the same time solenoid N is energized and its core drawn in, and when the finger a has passed over the plate 2', the circuit 1 1 being thereby broken and the core being forced forward by the spring 19, the shaft n will be stepped the distance of one tooth of ratchet-wheel 92}, by which movement the fingers 74 Zwill be separated, breaking circuit of line 1 l at that point, and at the same time the fingers T and tongue R will be separated, breaking the circuit 2 2 and leaving the magnet E deenergized, so that lever 6 will continue to hold the semaphore at danger position. When the finger T is moved from under the tongue R, as just described, the tongue will spring inwardly and contact with finger S, and thus establish circuit for line 2 2 through magnet M from plate a" at the far end of the block to ground X. 2' before ground has been restored by the passing off of the first train over plate c", its contact-finger a finds no ground through station-circuit 1 1, engine-magnet (Jr ceases to be active, its armature drops on contact g to put magnet H into circuit through line 6 6 and tongue g with the battery on the car. Magnet H thereupon attracts its armature h and shuts off the power-supply and applies the brakes to stop the train. As soon, however,as brush (0* contacts with plate 2' a ground for station-circuit9 9 is found by way of brush When a following train reaches plate' a engine-circuit6 6, stop g, armature g, battery on car, and thence through 7 to ground, and as the station-circuit 9 9 passes through solenoid N to ground the solenoid N will be energized and the members of the circuitbreaker stepped further apart. The brush a of each successive engine passing out of the block or section and contacting with plate finds ground through line2 2for restoring or reestablishing the circuit-breaker circuits and setting the semaphore to safety. When an engine having passed asemaphore-station reverses its direction and starts back over the track, the semaphores, circuit-breakers, and annunciators which have been successively set to danger and restored to safety as the train progressed are now operated in the same manner by the engine traveling in the reverse direction-that is to say, the engine sets the semaphore in front to danger and restores to safety the semaphore in its rear in the following manner: At each semaphorestation a set of contact-plates i a" i are arranged which are duplicates of the plates 7, i the plate 71* being, however, arranged in the rear of the plates i i, as shown. The frame a which carries the brushes (4 a, of which there are two sets, one on each side of the engine, is movable from side to side and has a tongue 6%, that engages with a worm b on an axle of the engine, so that accordingly as the engine changes its direction the brushes will be moved to one side or the other and will contact with the plates 21?? or with the plates 2 f 2', and the semaphores, circuit-breakers, and annunciators will be operated as before, but for an engine traveling in the opposite direction to the arrow in Fig. 1.

Having described my invention, 1 claim 1. The combination of a semaphore, an annunciator and actuating mechanism controlled by a leading train to set the semaphore to danfor separately actuating the annunciator by following trains, and means whereby said semaphore and annunciator are restored to normal position when the last train of the following trains passes ofi the block controlled by said devices, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination of a semaphore and its actuating mechanism, an annunciator and its actuating mechanism, said actuating mechanisms being arranged to operate together When the semaphore is set to danger and safety positions, the semaphore-actuating mechanism being idle or inoperative while in danger position, and its annunciator mechanism operative at all timesby a passing train in either its forward or backward motion, substantially as set forth.

3. The combination of a semaphore, electromagnetic devices including a circuit-breaker, an annunciator controlled by said devices and operating when said circuitbreaker is opened, substantially as set forth.

4:. The combination of asemaphore,'electric all y-controlled actuating devices for said semaphore, an annunciator, electromagnetic devices for the annunciator separate from the semaphore-actuating devices, circuit connections and contact-plates therefor controlled by a passing train, substantially as set forth.

5. The combination of a station-semaphore electromagnetic actuating devices, two separate series of contact-plates and circuit connections, an engine or motor-car having shifting or movable contact devices for contact with plates and automatically controlled by the forward and backward motions of the engine or car, substantially as set forth.

6. The combination of a semaphore 0, solenoid-actuating core cl, for setting the semaphore to danger position, a locking armaturelever e for holding the semaphore in danger position, an electromagnet for said locking armature-lever, and circuit connections, substantially as set forth.

7. An engine having a closed circuitincluding magnetic appurtenances and a ground connection and contact-brush, and an open shunt-circuit including magnetic devices, a contact-brush and ground connections, substantially as set forth.

8. An engineorcarhavinganormallyclosed circuit including grou nd connections and a contact-brush for opening such closed circuit, and an open shunt therefrom including a contact-brush and ground connections, substantially as set forth.

9. An engine or motor-car having a closed circuit including electromagnetic devices, a contact brush and a contact stop for said brush, an open shunt-circuit including electromagnetic devices, a contact-brush and a contact-stop for said brush in combination with contact-plates along the line of way for vibrating or raising said brushes from said contact-stops, substantially as set forth.

10. An engine or motor-car having a normally closed circuit including electromagnetic devices, a vibrating contact brush and a ground connection, an open shunt-circuit including electromagnetic devices controlling the power-controlling devices for the engine or motor-car, and a vibrating contact-brush and a ground connection, substantially as set forth.

11. An engine or motor-car having a normally closed'circuit including an electromagnet and a source of electric supply, a shuntcircuit, a vibrating contactbrush, contact point or points for said brush for opening and closing said closed circuit, substantially as set forth.

12. An engine or motor-car having a normally closed circuit including an electromagnet, a source of-electric supply, a shunt-circuit having contact point or points, a vibrating brush for contact with said point or points for opening and closing said closed circuit, and power-controlling devices for the engine or motor-car controlled by said magnet, substantially as set forth.

13. A railway having station electromagnetic devices, circuit connections and contactplates, an engine or motor-car having a closed circuit including a source of electric supply, an electromagnet and contact point or points, a vibrating contact-brush for opening said closed circuit as the brush contacts with the plates at the stations and power-controlling devices under the control of said magnet, substantially as set forth.

1 An engineor motor-car having a closed battery or electric circuit, a power-controlling device with magnetic appurtenances, a resistance in said battery or electric circuit controlling the switch of a separate or shunt circuit, including the power-controlling magnetic appurtenances for stopping the engine or train when said battery or generator circuit is in a non-working condition, substantially as set forth. 1

15. Arailway-station-signalcircuit-breaker having a shaft n, a non-conductor cylinder or disk having a conductor-strip it mounted on said shaft, contact-brushes 7c, 10 for said cylinder or disk, ratchetwheels on said shaft engaging with armatures of electromagnets M, N, for alternately rotating step by step the shaft n, and circuit connections for said magnets and contact-brushes, substantially as set forth.

16. A railway having station electromagnetic appurtenances in partial circuits, trackcontacts therefor, an engine or car, powercontrolling devices thereon, a normally closed electric circuit on said car, an electromagnet included in said circuit, an armature for said magnet, connections between said armature and the power-controlling devices, and a contact device included in said circuit and adapted to coact with the track-contacts.

17. A railway having station electromagnetic appurtenances in partial circuits, trackcontacts at the respective stations included in circuits for predetermined forward and rearward stations, an engine or car, power-controlling devices thereon, a normally closed electric circuit on said car, an electromagnet included in said circuit, an armature for said magnet, connections between said armature and the power-controlling devices, and a contact device included in said circuit and adapted to coact with the track-contacts.

18. An engine or car having a normally closed electric circuit, means for opening such closed circuit, an open shunt-circuit therefrom, and means for closing said shunt-circuit, in combination with power-controlling devices on the engine or car, and electromagnetic appurtenances controlled by said circuits to operate said power-controlling devices, su bstantially as described.

19. An engine or motor-car having a closed electric circuit including an electromagnetic device, means for opening said circuit, an open shunt-circuit including an electromagnetic device, and means for closing said shunt-circuit, in combination with devices along the line of way for operating the said opening and closing means for the respective circuits substantall y as described.

20. In an engine or motor-car, having a normally closed electric circuit including an electromagnetic device, means for opening said circuit, an open shunt-circuit including an electromagnetic device, power-controlling devices on the engine or car under the influence of said electromagnetic device, and means for closing said shunt-circuit, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affiX my signature in presence of two witnesses.

SAMUEL D. STROHM.

Witnesses:

CHAs. F. VAN HORN, R. W. VAN STAVOREN. 

